Jamie's 'Bad Dream'
by Deidari
Summary: Jamie has a really bad dream and it might have even been real, so he goes to Jack for support... but there might be more behind this simple dream than what people may first believe...
1. Seeking Help

**This is the first chapter and I made this a long time ago, mind me. If you can make it past this chapter, which I'm sure you will, it's a hell of a lot better. Thank you for reading! :D**

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The night is long and Jamie tries to make it home before his mother. She is a strict type of lady, at least not the type that likes her child out past his bedtime. Something brought Jamie out to the middle of the woods though, the zipper to his jacket not even done up right he was in such a rush getting out the door. With a trembling body, Jamie makes it to the lake and peers across. He sees a shadow up in the trees, not 100% sure who it really is at first so he calls out...

"Hello?"

"Huh...?" A sleepy voice moans from up on the branch.

"Jamie," The said boy squints, seeing a flash of white hair.

"Jamie? Woah, It's been away for awhile..."

"What?" Although it has been a year.

"You don't remember me? It's me Jack. Jack Frost...you know, Guardian of Fun, snow days? Ring a bell?" The guardian floats down from the tree, moonlight catching off his bright smile.

"Jack!" Shocked, Jamie runs forward to hug him, realization clicking in. "I had such a bad dream!"

"Woah, easy! Before you knock me over!" Jack laughs, putting an arm around the boy. "What's the problem?"

"I had such a bad dream..."

A hint of hesitation. "Pitch...what did he do this time?"

Jamie's bottom lip trembles. "I dreamed... that you died and he turned me into his slave..."

"It's all right now, Jamie. I can't die! I have a lifetime of endless fun." He tries to reassure Jamie. "You won't be his slave. I won't let that happen to you or anyone."

Jamie moans softly in pain, a little piece of black sand falling off his clothing.

"Jamie? What's wrong? What did he do to you?" Jack leans closer trying to look into his eyes. "Did he hurt you? You need to tell me."

"Jack..." Jamie's head falls forward onto his friend's shoulder, his body going weak.

"Jamie, buddy, you gotta stay with me...!" Jack grabs him and takes off into the air, trying to get him to the other guardians.

Jamie opens his eyes for a few moments, black specks coating his vision. "Ja..." It comes out choked.

"It's all right, I got you...just stay with me, keep talking to me...how's your sister, is she doing okay?" Jack is panicking on the inside worried something will happen to his friend.

It wasn't a dream. It really was real... Jamie can barely believe it, smiling at his bad luck. His throat has already swollen up, making it difficult to talk much. "Fi...ne..."

"Someone help me!" Jack yells as he soars across the skies. Jaime was being more incoherent with every breath. "Can you breathe, just nod for me okay?" Jack plead with the almost unconscious boy.

Eyes drag over to Jack and look at each other for a moment. Jack's worst fear comes to life, the whites of Jamie's eyes are black...

"...Jamie..." Jack can only stare in horror at what he sees.

"Ja..." The boy squirms, fisting the front of Jack's sweater and yelps shortly in pain.

The frost spirit doesn't know what to do at this point. He looks around frantically seeing if there is anyone who can help him but sees no one. "Pitch, what have you done...?"

Jamie mumbles the name over and over, trying to hold onto the belief that Jack really can save him, but the voices in his head are getting stronger, overwhelming.

"Jamie, just stay with me okay? Don't think of the darkness. All right, we'll play...a thinking game! Every time you think of something bad, say something good out loud to me okay?" Jack presses against the wind faster, hoping if he gets the boy to North in time, he might be able to do something.

Jamie's breathing quickens, sharp black nails breaking through Jack's sweater at the suffering. "Rainbows! Flowers! ...Candy! ... Ma...gic..."

"Magic! There's a good one. You can do magic too, you know. Just repeat after me okay? I believe. That's a spell that will always work okay? So just keep saying it, and the bad things will go away." Jack's grip on the boy grows tighter in fear and worry.

"I... believe...I... bel-ACK!" Jamie's body freezes up, the black nails meeting Jack's chest now and scrapping the cool skin. "Believe!" His skin is growing as cold as Jack's, the affects from the black sand changing him too quickly.

Jack finally reaches the North Pole in record time, flying through an open window and yelling at one of the yetis to get North. "Jamie, you're doing great okay? You just need to hold on for a little longer."

"JACK!" The boy screams before he starts squirming, looking around blindly with pure black eyes.

"NORTH, I NEED HELP, PLEASE!" Jack screams... He feels useless, not knowing how to protect one of the children he cares about the most.

"Kill me..." The words slip between Jamie's lips which have gone blue, death sinking in.

North finally comes and asks what happened. Pitch is behind it, but what happened is beyond him. Jack shakes his head violently. "No, I'm not doing that to you, Jamie, please tell us what he did to you..."

Jamie's chest went up and down quickly, hyperventilating. "Pitch... forced...it...down...my...throat."

"Forced...?" Jack wastes no time in opening up the boy's mouth and sticking two fingers in it. If he has something in him, the best way to handle this is by forcing the boy to throw it up out of his system. "Sorry Jamie..." He says while waiting for it to come out.

Jamie's expression changes in an instant, first grossed out and surprised, then furious. His lips pull back, revealing nasty, sharp teeth and a throaty growl. He doesn't give Jack any time to properly react, Jamie's teeth snapping down harshly without remorse.

Jack yells out. "Jamie stop, I'm only trying to help you!" He doesn't pull his fingers out but instead shoves them farther down to hopefully get the boy to throw up. Something is terribly wrong. North moves up to Jack's side and tries to help hold the boy down and keep Jamie from moving.

"Let go of me!" Jamie shrieks out at them, his mouth set in a snarl. "I'll kill both of you!"

"No, we won't! Just try it." Jack threatens. There's no point in trying to reason with the boy- it isn't him any more.

Jamie's back arches up and screams again. The once happy boy with a bright toothy smile is replaced with a child of anger and black eyes, wishing for nothing more than their death. On the floor though, Jamie's body can only sputter in frustration as a mix of black sand and dissolved food comes up from his gut.

Jack sighs as he sees the black sand come out of his friend. This wasn't supposed to happen. It's painful listening to the screaming. "There you go, nice and easy...We need to get this out of you buddy."

The sand burns coming back up just like it did when it went down, Jamie's body shuddering before going slack on the floor, silent.

North rubbed his hand tiredly in his face. "He is tired. Let him rest some and we'll get answers later." Jack can only nod numbly as the Yetis carried the boy to a more comfortable area. He's worried, but most of all scared. Scared he didn't get there in time.

"Jack..." Jamie mumbles, but only feels large, furry arms around him. He first thinks it's the Easter Bunny, reaching up to feel for the ears, but doesn't feel them. Instead, all he needs is the fresh smell of gingerbread to make him realize it was a yeti. Wait, he can't see. "Jack!" Jamie yells frantically, trying to wipe at his eyes.

Hearing his name being called, Jack immediately runs over to the boy, "It's all right Jamie, I'm here."

"J-Jack..." Jamie reaches out till his feels the cool skin of his friend's face. "I can't... see..."

"It's all right Jamie...everything will be okay. You got to trust me." Jack knows the boy is scared out of his wits, with his eyes, open but unable to see. "Listen, you have to tell us everything that happened okay? We need to get to the bottom of this."

"I-I did tell you!" Tears slip from the Jamie's clouded eyes, petrified, not understanding anything.

"Shh, calm down, I know you told me what happened, but I need details." It's hard, trying to ask for the boy to remember something that's so painful. "What did Pitch force down your throat? Sand? Or was it something else?"

"W-We got in a shuffle. I tried to get away from him..." Jamie screws his eyes shut, trying to recall the event, seeing glowing eyes staring back at him. "He trapped me... followed me home. He wanted to know where he could find you. I wouldn't tell him. He said I could join him as his Fearling prince instead... He... He forced the sand and other weird chemicals into me. I couldn't scream... I was choking."

"And your eyes? You really can't see...?" Jack listens calmly and other than the fact his hand not holding his staff curls tightly into a fist, he shows no anger. He needs to be calm for the boy and not cause a panic like he done earlier.

"N-No..." Jamie's hands curl up into the yeti's fur, the nails still black, not near as sharp as before.

Jack's only guess is the possibility of more sand being inside of him, but he doesn't want to put Jamie through the whole ordeal again. "Okay, thanks buddy. I promise, everything will be okay. You have to believe me, just like you believed earlier."

"I'll always believe in you, Jack Frost," Jamie smiles.


	2. Missing Friend

**So, I ended up doing another chapter after so long. I'm dearly sorry about that... hehe. Don't kill me. I tried to make this detailed enough for you guys, more so than the last chapter. **

**Also, if you're confused, this is a prequel to what happened in the last chapter. Enjoy!**

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Hockey practice had gone by as usual, swinging sticks and hitting pucks in the net held together only by string and duct tape. Claude fell over the wall when he skated for the puck too fast and Jamie treated him to hot chocolate to make it all better. The two of them and the rest of the team laughed over the events that occurred and parted ways when the sun began to lower in the horizon. Claude and Jamie walked together, seeing as their paths led the same way to home, Claude parting as they passed his house.

Now Jamie was alone walking the rest of the way, his shadow stretched out in front of him with the sun's orange beams behind him. With winter in it's peak, days were getting shorter in sunlight hours. He passed by the convenience store a good block from his place, absently staring up at the red lettered sign, flickering away. Every year, when summer comes around, him and Sophie will go there for an ice cream cone. Sophie always gets strawberry; it's nearly tradition with her.

Knowing he's close to home, Jamie picked up the pace, eager to see that night's fight on tv. If he's early, he might even be able to whip up something to eat, maybe nachos or popcorn with extra butter on top. Sophie would lose the big tv for her own show, but that girl has a tv of her own in her room; she doesn't need the entire living room for that.

Five to eight and he already knew the popcorn idea is out, reaching to pull the loose boards of the fence aside sadly. As he tossed around the pros and cons to starving for the sake of a tv show, he hears it, and it's not the rusted nails of the fence. It's something... weird.

He looked back over his shoulder, listening intently to something other than the wind that refused to let up. A solid minute he stood there, eyes moving from the left to the right, waiting, but nothing came up.

"Okay then," Jamie mumbled to himself, stepping through the fence and into that familiar yard.

He stepped over a bucket for the sandbox and a few dolls Sophie left out for the blizzard to take in. Being the nice brother he is, Jamie kneels down to scoop them up and bring them inside as a sort of peace offering to the girl.

Jamie may or may not have used up the last of the Nutella that morning... Yeeeah. Sophie was a little mad about stepping inside, Jamie took in a large whiff of fresh coffee and cookies. Although he didn't have much of a taste for the drink, he did love the smell of the baked goods he mom would make. He sets down the dolls and his hockey bag, kicking off his boots in the process.

"Mom?" Soph'?" He hears voice from in the living room, sure it's the tv and some show his mom left on from earlier.

Off with his coat and hat now, he hanged them up in the closet, only to stop midway in closing the door when hearing the footsteps. They're heavy and the vibrations are just under his feet; it's not the tv.

The next room is full of hushed whispers, growing quieter the closer Jamie gets.

"Mom?" He asks again when he steps into the living room.

On the one couch sits his mother, facing him. The other opposite of her supports two men, their backs put to Jamie. When her eyes raised up to him, the men sitting there turn to face him.

"Is this Jamie?" The one man asked softly, nearly on the verge of pity.

"Yeah, I'm Jamie, and who are you?" Jamie crossed his arms across his chest, a non-welcoming gesture to them.

Men have come by before. They ask for money when the bills get behind. This feels like no different except for one thing. The badge on their jackets and the matching hats set in their lap.

"Hello, Jamie. We're the police. Would you mind sitting down for a moment?" The other one suggested in the same polite manner.

Now he remembered them. Mainly around the coffee shop and the local shops, socializing with the people, these guys had nothing better to do in Burgess. No disrespect, but why would they be here now?

Jamie watches his mother's face as he sits down next to her then turns to face the men, keen on their badges. This can't be good news.

"Do you know a boy by the name of Caleb Burke, Jamie? Is he a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, we're in hockey together, but he was sick today-"

"That isn't the reason he wasn't there, Jamie," He looked over at his mom, confusion in his eyes.

"Mom, he was sick," Jamie insists.

The one officer leans forward, catching Jamie's attention again. "Your friend, Caleb, went out today at six-thirty. I'm guessing that's when practice was going on, correct?" Receiving a nod from Jamie, he continues. "He left a note for his mom, saying he'd be back soon, went for medicine, because his cold got worse." A pause. "He never came home."

"He probably went to visit Monty or something, forgot to-"

"Who's Monty?" The other officer asked.

"A friend of ours. He probably went to go see hi-"

"Caleb's parents have already phoned all their parents. None of them report seeing Caleb Burke."

Now his chest tightens up, possibilities running through his head. Jamie knew Caleb not to get lost, their town is too small for something like that. So the negatives start pouring in.

Soon after that, Jamie's mom says goodnight to the officers and leads them to the door. Whatever she says to comfort Jamie doesn't work, for he blocks it all out. It's a blur getting ready for bed even, slipping under the covers, and staring out the window. He tugs the blankets up under his chin when a chill runs through him, forgetting to leave his door open during the day to let the fireplace heat in. So, he'd have to use double the amount of blankets to stay warm that night, all the while wondering just what happened to Caleb.

"What happened to you, Caleb..."


	3. Not Sleeping

Two days had passed and yet Caleb was still missing. No one in the neighbourhood seen him around and his parents were starting to go into panic mode. His mom wouldn't stop calling Jamie's mom, mostly for a little support, while his dad went in search of him. Claude couldn't handle being at home with his mom the way she was, so crashed at Jamie's.

Up in Jamie's room, the two would toss ideas back and forth on where Claude's twin might be. A few times they suggested it had something to do with the Guardians and any bad guys they didn't tell the kids about, but it didn't go far. The Guardians haven't been around to visit Jamie any ways, so why would any enemies bother to show up?

Despite the games they played and the chats they made, Jamie couldn't get the Guardians out of his head. What if Caleb's disappearance had something to do with them? Are they with him right now? Do they need to save him and if so, why not telling Jamie and his friends? It's the middle of winter; where's Jack?

Just when Jamie's head felt heavy enough to fall over from all the confusion, his mom calls from down stairs. "No more bad news, right?" He turned to Claude, who was busy pushing the air mattress up he used the night before.

Getting it up against the wall and making sure it stays there, Claude smiled lightly. Jamie could see the pain behind it, still so very strong. "Nah, food. I think spaghetti." They both head out of the room. "Your mom just got the meat and sauce for it today."

They two of them head down the stairs and into the kitchen next to Sophie. She sits at the table anxiously awaiting for food to be served. Her own pink plastic plate is placed in front of her while Jamie and Claude get their's on the breakable plates; last time Sophie had one, it kinda broke all over the kitchen floor.

"Thanks mom," Jamie dug in.

Sophie already had sauce on her chin. "Thank youuu!" She gave a bright smile, mom laughing lightly in return.

"Yeah, thanks ," Claude chorused cheerfully, reaching across his plate for a piece of garlic bread.

"You're welcome," Jamie's mom finished making her own plate before coming over, sitting opposite of Jamie. "Now, if you guys want seconds, there's a bit left for each of you."

"I'll be good with this," Claude sent a toothy smile, one missing in the bottom from a hockey incident just last month.

Jamie looked down at his own plate, already half done. "I'll be fine too." He grinned in Sophie's direction. "What about you Soph'?"

"More more!" The little blonde girl laughs, only one bright eye visible under all that hair.

Supper passes and so does the horror movie that the boys rented for themselves. They sit at the edge of Jamie's bed at first then on the floor. Coming to the best part of the movie, right near the end, they fight over the last few BBQ chips, ending with the bag getting spilt and their debate over whether it was safe or not to eat them.

A bag worth of chips left on the floor for clean-up in the morning and their bodies tucked under the covers, the day has come to a close. At least, for Claude it has. Claude sleeps soundly from on the air mattress, but Jamie keeps waking up. He doesn't know why at first, but then he starts to remember them the longer he stays up.

Nightmares. Horrible ones. Nearly realistic and frightening, he looked down to Claude when he nearly thought his friend had died. Those are the worst; the nightmares where your friends or family die and are so surreal and detailed they actually happened.

The whole night goes like that till the sun began to rise. For those who slept, it was a nice wake up call, but it's a bad sign for Jamie. With eyelids drooping half ways and the blankets giving no comfort, he almost threw his alarm clock across the room when it goes off.

"Jamie?" Claude said from the floor. "Jamie...?" He said again, this time with a little more worry behind it. "Did you really have to toss this over here?" Although he laughs right after, Jamie can't get himself to be as cheerful.

"Do you think I can convince my mom to stay home?" Not moving from his spot, Jamie peeked out from under the covers, squinting through the invasive light.

"Why do you want to do that?" Claude pulled himself to his feet, hands rubbing at eyes. "We have school... unless it's optional Monday or whatever." He yawned.

"No, that's next week," Jamie grinned tiredly. "I just... didn't sleep very well."

"Want me to go ask your mom for you?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice." And up go the covers, imitating the night once again, and hoping for no nightmares.

"All right, I'll be right back." Jamie listened to the boards creaking till they fade completely away, leaving him to only silence.

Delicious silence.

He didn't remember falling asleep.

It was soundless and dark, just like sleep should be. Time passes too fast. Night is already there. That's how fast it went and when the sun was gone, two bright orbs take it's place...

"There you are..."


	4. Bad Dream

Finally another chapter. Enjoy :D

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_Lost in the hazy fog and unable to escape it's blinding clutches with no where to go, he's left on his own, helpless and confused. Left, right, straight, his feet don't know the direction they are heading in. Everything is the same in this place, lifeless and empty. Where's the way out?Is there a way out? He's been going on like this for a while now..._

_Jamie..._

_Who was that?_

_He turns towards where he believed the whisper came from. The name echoes through the area, over and over._

_Jamie... Jamie... Jamie..._

_Hopeful and needing an answer to this place, a way out, a way to freedom, he runs. Sneakers smack down on the black and white tile, clean and well polished. He keeps going, the light at the end of the tunnel closing with every second, every step, every heartbeat. Nearly giving up... he sees it._

_The figure not so far off, standing in the fog._

_He calls out to it, but he can't get anything out, made silent somehow._

_Lips, teeth, tongue, lungs; they're all there. So why can't he speak? He wants this person to know he's here, to come to him, to talk to him, to find a way out. This can just maybe be his only chance at escape. Maybe if he can say something, anything, he'd get the other's attention._

_Hello?_

_Quiet and doubting the other could hear him, he surprisingly gets a response. A twitch, up in the shoulder area. Then a turn, looking just over the shoulder._

_He tries to say more, but it's impossible._

_So he walks forward._

_The closer he gets, the more he begins to notice a very odd smell in the air, strong and full of chemicals made up for medical work. Why would that be here-_

_Blood._

_All over the floor. The stuff is everywhere, ruining the perfect tiled look he seen before. Scattered in freckles on white stone and splashed as if from a bucket on the black, he can't get his frightened eyes off of it._

_When he decides to look back up to the figure in the fog, it's standing right in front of him. Eyes turned back behind him, only the white with their little red veins stare back._

_Caleb..._

_His friend doesn't answer._

_He looks younger, like a boy more than a teenager. That red hat covers his dark hair, stained by another shade of red, dried up long ago._

_This can't be..._

_Caleb smiles up at him, blood seeping through the crooked teeth inside that mouth, over half of them nearly falling out._

_Dear god, Caleb... What happened to you?_

...

The toilet water swirls around and down, taking a mix of stomach acid and food with it. Staring passively at it, Jamie's heavy brown eyes lift to the clock when a full minute passes by. Is it really three in the morning already? It can't be. But dreams... nightmares to be specific... They make you wake up when it'd the darkest out every damn time.

Caleb never did answer his question and it makes Jamie's head spin with confusion. It was just a bad dream, ... right? A lot of dreams can feel very real, but it doesn't mean you're psychic or something now and can talk to the dea- living. Caleb is a living person. Not dead.

"But those eyes..." Cracked from emotion and neglect, he coughs afterwards and gets a drink from the sink.

The cold water is what he needs, running down his neck and face, a refreshing way to go back to bed.

"Just a bad dream. Just a bad dream," He repeats it to himself as he goes down the hall, missing sight of a particular shadow watching him from in the corner.

"You get them all the time, Bennett." But this one is so different... "No, it's not different. Nightmares are always bad. Nothing good."

While trying to convince himself that he can just go to sleep again, Jamie slips under the covers and hits his pillow a few times for extra comfort. Nothing wrong here... except for the shadow creeping under the doorway... and moving over under his bed...

He smiles up at the moon outside of his window, which shines down exceptionally bright. It's so amazing just how it can do that, lighting the night like a giant flashlight and blinding the shit out of someone trying to get back to sleep.

"Fine, then," Jamie grumbles.

He rolls over and sees it.

A hand.

And it's five shadow based fingers snarling through his thick hair, holding him in place.

He's too shocked to say anything at first and when he finally finds his voice, a hand comes up from the other side of the bed and latches onto his mouth. Trapped and unable to scream, Jamie can only squirms, arms and legs useless against the shadows. It's like they slip right through them like any other shadow. Their expands, a finger from either hand stretching down to his hands. He holds them in the air, they reach up and pull them down. The feet go next, two more hands rising up from under the bed to take them.

Jamie doesn't see it coming, that string of darkness creeping like a snake up his chest, polluted with dark sand. And, like a snake, it lifts up partially when up by Jamie's face. Though it had no eyes, he can feel them before the bite, closing his brown eyes when it strikes...

Slipping by his lips, invading and sinking down into his throat. The sand scratches the skin of his throat and the taste of iron comes up. His eyes water at the pain when it falls into his stomach, feeling the darkness swell up and burn his insides. When it becomes unbearable, he falls off the bed, crawling to the door.

He would he go for? Mom? Sophie? Who?

The open doorway is blocked by two feet and a tall cloaked figure, standing there proudly.

Pitch.

"No..." He groans through the pain, feeling like his stomach is about to explode. "Nonono..."

Everything becomes a blur after that as the heat in his system begins to rise to a boiling level, his body made into a kettle while the acid burns up. On the way down the stairs more bile comes up and coats the stairs. He slips in it, but the banister is there for support.  
The first floor. He's there. Where next?

The front door. There. He needs to go there. He needs to go there... No where else... where else.

His knees hit the floorboards. No way will he make it there. Everything is so... dark... His vision is closing in.

No. He will not go out like this. He needs to make it.

One step... Two... Three...

One after the other and Jamie is at the door before anything else can happen, feeling the cold knob turn and open to the winter white world before him. Revived and feeling able to take on anything, Jamie runs at full speed out off the deck and into the streets.

The mound in his stomach turns and rumbles like unsettled food, disturbed and not pleased at whatever Jamie is doing, so it sends a wave of nausea up to him. Throwing up only works for a few seconds for there is nothing else to throw up... except for that damn shadow, but it clings tightly to the living on his stomach, refusing to go just yet, resilient.

Where is he even going? Is there a destination in mind?

...Yes.

Jack. He can help.

So, with the forest in his sights, he goes for it... Begging Jack to be there. Straightening his back up and wiping away the pain, Jamie walks on, determined to find Jack and put an end to this before it starts.


End file.
